North East RadioWatch: December 26, 1998

Albany Jams

When last week's NERW went to press, there were no urban-formatted
stations in NEW YORK's Capital District...but this week there are
two. The first to flip was WXLE (104.5 Mechanicville), which dumped
its month-old "Magic" AC format last Friday to become "Jammin'
Oldies," just like its Capstar/Chancellor sister stations in Tampa,
Dallas, Chicago, New York, and elsewhere. So far, the new station is
running jockless.

Next to go was WPTR-FM (96.3 Voorheesville), which pulled the plug on
its low-rated hot country format to become "Jams 96-3," bringing
Albany its first commercial outlet for hip-hop and urban contemporary
music. WPTR had been fighting a losing battle against country giant
WGNA (107.7/1460); will its relatively weak signal be less of a
drawback when it's the only station in its format?

New to the Empire State airwaves this week was WXXE (90.5 Fenner), the
first outlet of Syracuse Community Radio, which signed on for the
first time at 3:07 PM on Monday (Dec. 21). While the station is being
heard in most of Madison County, it's not much of a contender in
Syracuse and Onondaga County just yet, thanks to co-channel stations
in Baldwinsville (high-school outlet WBXL) and Rochester (WBER). WXXE
put out e-mail this week advising potential listeners of specific
street corners in and around Syracuse where the station is audible.
You can read more about SCR -- including their proposed translators
co-channel with nearby WRVO (89.9 Oswego) -- at their Web site.

Speaking of translators, Syracuse religious station WMHR (102.9) has
applied for one at 90.7 in Riverhead, way out at the East End of Long
Island. And Bridgeport CT community broadcaster WPKN (89.5) had its
petition for reconsideration against translator W209BB (89.7 Port
Chester) denied this week by the FCC. (Let's make sure we're straight
on this -- a translator rebroadcasting a religious station from,
lessee here, Abilene, Texas, takes priority over one of the few
stations in the region that actually exists solely to provide a public
service to its listening audience. More on this coming up in our
Year-End Editorial Rant next issue...)

Speaking of things we can (and probably will) rant about, WQEW (1560
New York) is clearly in the death throes of its American Popular
Standards format. No more jocks -- just taped liners -- and almost
every spot break includes plugs for other area stations hoping for a
piece of the audience. Among them: standards WLUX (540 Islip), WHLI
(1100 Hempstead), WLIM (1580 Patchogue), WMTR (1250 Morristown NJ),
and WVNJ (1160 Oakland NJ), plus public radio WNYC AM-FM (820/93.9),
WFUV (90.7), and even the business-news machine that is WBBR (1130),
occupying the dial position once held by the lamented WNEW (1130), the
granddaddy of the standards format. The end of the format comes at
midnight Sunday night, and of course we'll have tape rolling (and
tears in our eyes).

Just over the state line from Rockland County, the FCC has again
extended the construction permit for WKNJ (550 Lakeside NJ). The 270
watt daytimer has faced a slew of problems stemming from toxic waste
near its proposed transmitter site, as well as neighborhood
opposition. If it doesn't finish building this time out, it may not
get another extension, since the FCC reminded the station that it's
cracking down on CPs that remain unbuilt.

And on the DTV front, New York's WNBC-TV (Channel 4) had its
application granted for WNBC-DT on Channel 28.

On we move, to VERMONT, where WKDR (1390 Burlington) will start the
New Year preparing for new owners. The news-talker had been operating
under an LMA with Burlington Broadcasters (WBTZ/WIZN), but when
Burlington declined to exercise their option to buy WKDR, owners Louie
Manno, Jim Condon, and Mark Johnson began offering the AM to other
buyers. The winner -- for a reported $475,000 -- is Ken Squier's Radio
Vermont, which also owns WDEV (550 Waterbury/96.1 Warren), classical
WCVT (101.7 Stowe), and country WLVB (93.9 Morrisville). It should be
a good fit, since both WKDR and WDEV are among the Green Mountain
State's top radio news operations. WKDR continued a holiday tradition
this year by broadcasting the Radio Yule Log all day Christmas, by the
way.

A correction from last week: We mixed our "Wills" up and put WXPS
(96.7)'s new tower site and city of license in the wrong location.
It's Willsboro, New York, not Williston. And while we're at it, we'll
note that WXNT (92.1 Port Henry NY) is not exactly a simulcast with
WSYB in Rutland, although they do share some programming.

Remember WRUT, the 107.5 in West Rutland that Brian Dodge put on the
air without proper FCC approval a few years back? It appeared in the
FCC's public notices again this week, as the Commission returned a
1993 application to modify its facilities for being "untimely."

Does MASSACHUSETTS need another FM station in any of its markets,
especially Cape Cod? We wouldn't think so (especially with that 102.3
in Truro that's still unbuilt), but it won't stop the FCC from
considering a proposal to allocate 104.3 to West Tisbury as a class A
allocation. (That's on Martha's Vineyard, by the way).

A tower grows in Newton Upper Falls: American Tower Systems is
planning to put up a new, taller tower next to the "FM128" stick on
Chestnut Street next spring. The new stick will be topped with a
candelabra and will carry antennas for several FM stations (including
the recently-moved WCRB) and DTV.

"Joe Boxer Radio" on 1580? That's what you'll hear in the vicinity of
Boston's Kenmore Square, according to a billboard recently put up by
the underwear company. A Part 15 transmitter serves up ads for boxer
shorts and other goodies to anyone in a radius of several blocks...

And a correction: Bev Tilden is Chancellor's vice president for
marketing.

Up in MAINE, there are new calls on the way to AM 900 in Brunswick,
formerly WCME, WKXA, and most recently WCLZ (not that they ever
legally ID'd it on the AM side!) As Fuller-Jeffrey takes over the
station, it'll become WJJB, which no doubt means a simulcast with
"Sports Radio WJAB," legally known as WJAE (1440 Westbrook), can't be
far off.

A CONNECTICUT low-power TV station has been silenced by DTV, but
don't weep for WHTX-LP (Channel 10) in Hartford. While the new DTV
signal of WTNH-DT takes over the channel, the programming from AIN and
A1 moves down the dial to co-owned W06BL, which becomes WMLD-LP. Read
all about, should you wish, at http://www.tv10hartford.com.

The Pomfret School in Pomfret has had its application for 91.1 MHz
returned.

And while the WDRC/WWCO/WSNG/WMMW "quadcast" has been running nothing
but Christmas tunes since Monday, it's not a sign of impending format
change; we're told the usual adult standards will return to the
airwaves on Monday next.

Just a few days later, we'll all welcome in 1999, and we here at NERW
really want to hear how many stations do it with the help of the
Artist Formerly Known as Prince. If you're at home on New Year's
Eve, we'd love to hear tape of your local stations at
midnight...whether it's Prince's "1999" playing or something else
entirely! We'll summarize some of the results early in January, so
get those tape decks rolling...